String Skipping Pt. I

This series of exercises focus on warming up the right hand, while also helping to develop some right-left hand coordination. They should be done using alternate picking: the process of skipping strings forces the precision of the picking hand. The exercises are based on a barred chord shape, with a third added when reaching the first string. Pay attention to the picking indications.

Try the following sequence of chords, now with the aid of a metronome. After a while it becomes particularly difficult to keep up with the metronome, as this technique exerts considerable demands on the right hand, so start slow.

It should be noted that the previous exercises contained only major chords. Using minor chords involves an additional difficulty, as the chord shape requires the index finger to play several notes on the same fret (shown between brackets).

Finally, you can play in sixteenth notes -adding a second stroke to every note- in order to create a interesting variation. It is advisable to first approach these exercises playing legato, and then try different amounts of palm muting.